in this space with you
by ninejs
Summary: It was maybe a bit silly and self-indulgent, but being a princess, she never got to indulge in the simple, silly little things. It was refreshing to learn something so she could do it for fun. It was even more refreshing to be around Faye. —faye/celica


**hi, i love faye/celica and i should be finishing other stuff but they monopolized my time.**

 **i love young girls who like girls and there's not enough of them! this is partially to remedy this, but mainly my friend gave me an idea and i just sort of ran with it. idk if this is what she's expecting but this is what i wrote.**

 **title is from "honey" by kehlani.**

 **please enojy!**

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When she first comes to the village, there are many things that scare Celica, make her jump and hide behind Mycen. The fire and its lasting metaphorical scars (including the loss of her brother) leave her silent and distant. For a time, she doesn't really know what to say. She's never been a normal village girl, nor has she ever been the only survivor of a fire that killed all of her half-siblings and their mothers. Sometimes, she finds it difficult to pretend that none of those things ever happened to her.

The children her age in the village make it easier on her, though. Their boundless amounts of energy make up for Celica's grief-stricken lack of it, and she enjoys the time they spend together, be it running around the village and its outskirts or training in swordsmanship with Mycen. In another life, Mycen says, this would be perfect for you.

Celica is perhaps too young to think about living a different life, but with what's happened in her life so far, she finds herself daydreaming about it often. She thinks Conrad would have liked it, too, being here with her, playing with her and the others, without the danger and competition that was attached to their very existence.

Despite her daydreams, however, her life in Ram is not all having fun and being safe (or mostly safe, anyway). Once she had gotten accustomed to the village, she had been assigned daily chores, just like all her friends. And... she's really not very good at any of them, but sewing and mending, in particular, is the most difficult for her. Kliff and Tobin (albeit secretly) excel in it more than she does, and she feels a tad embarrassed at the fact that she can't seem to pull her weight when it comes to hard work.

Alm encourages her as he always does, happy words and pure optimism, and Faye does, too, although instead of cheering her on, Faye much prefers to just teach her or help her get things done. As guilty as it makes Celica feel, Faye insists that it's not an issue. And for someone like Faye, Celica guesses it really isn't. But it doesn't sway her guilt, even when Faye tells her she wants to help Celica get done faster so they can play alone together, without any boys around.

That's something she thinks about, too. Gray and Tobin have trouble keeping things secret, or so it seems, and blab about how Faye seems a lot calmer than she used to. She's apparently been easier to get along with since Celica came around, and the latter wonders if it's the presence of another girl. After all, before Celica came along, Faye was the only girl in their group of friends. Ram is a small place, and the other children in the village are either non-existent, too young or old to be able to put up with the others. Celica kind of knows the feelings. She was close with Conrad, but having another girl to be around would have been a nice touch, except all of her half-sisters didn't want to put up with her more than they had to.

It's because of this that Celica enjoys Faye's company, and doesn't argue when Faye takes her to the village outskirts without the rest of the gang. Her only rule is very simple, and always shouted in a way that makes Alm and the others know they are not welcome company: "No boys allowed!"

And so they run away from the boys, dissolving in giggles. Sometimes it's easier to talk about Conrad, when it's just the two of them, mentioning him in little stories that become relevant as the two carry the kinds of long, drawn-out conversations only ten- and eleven-year-old girls can have. The best thing is Faye seems to be tactful enough to know not to pry about who Conrad is, although if she asked, Celica often felt that she wouldn't be averse to telling her. Sometimes she wished she could tell Alm, too, but it was easier to trust Faye with information like that.

Some days, Faye would give her tips on chores, or they would chase each other around or even pretend to be women warriors fighting to save Alm (or one of their other friends), but Celica enjoyed the days where she learned something new from Faye the most. In particular, she loved it when Faye taught her how to make flower crowns.

It was maybe a bit silly and self-indulgent, but being a princess, she never got to indulge in the simple, silly little things. It was refreshing to learn something so she could do it for fun, not because she had to know how to do it to pull her own weight or protect herself. It was even more refreshing to be around Faye.

It was no secret that Celica admired Faye. She was older than her, although not by much, and she loved to teach Celica things like this out of the good of her heart. When Celica first came to Ram and felt overwhelmed very fast, it was Faye that was the gentlest with her, Faye who waited for her to open up without pushing her too much. Even with all that, she never treated her like broken glass. It was something Celica felt very appreciative of.

"I think learning how to do this might make you better at your mending, you know!" Faye's words snapped Celica back to reality, and Celica had to giggle at them.

"Really? Making flower crowns?" she asked, staring intently at the way Faye's hands gently weaved the flowers together.

"You never know! Besides, even if it doesn't, you can always use it as an excuse to have fun."

If it's all in good fun, well, then she can't argue with that.

Faye's almost finished with the crown she's been working on, mostly white flowers with some splashes of pink. It looks really beautiful, and it will look even more beautiful on Faye, Celica thinks, unable to stop herself from blushing, just a little bit.

Faye finishes, letting out a happy "there!" when shes finally weaved the last flower into place. Instead of placing it on herself, though, she places it on Celica, with a little giggle.

"I was worried the pink might not show up in your hair, but it does."

Celica laughs at that in agreement, almost finished with the crown she's been working on, herself. Her movements are clumsier than Faye's fluid ones, not used to weaving together such fragile things like flowers, but she's been gentle enough so the crown looks just as good as Faye's. Well... as good as she can make it look, anyway.

Celica puts the crown on Faye, adjusting it until she's satisfied. "There! You're a princess now!"

As much as Celica wants to add "just like me," she knows she can't give herself away.

"Do you really think so?" Faye asks, her cheeks slightly flushed, clearly not believing it.

"Of course!" Celica replies, her smile bright.

It's in this moment that Celica really understands what Mycen meant when he said that in another life, this would be perfectly suited for her. Because in another life, she would be perfectly suited for this; these little moments with Faye without the boys around.


End file.
